All the Way to the Tigers: A Memoir

Having read and loved Mary Morris' first memoir, Nothing to Declare, I was so excited to see she had written another. Unfortunately, I was as disappointed with this one as I was enthralled by the first! Perhaps I was reading a different book from the one all the reviewers here have said glowing things about. At the risk of offending many and hurting the author's feelings, I have to say that I almost didn't finish this book. It felt like a waste of my time. First, it could have benefitted from a much better editing. Secondly, the back and forth in time, the never knowing what happened in one part of the story before I was switched into another, literally drove me nuts! Next I got pretty tired of sitting in the jeep waiting for the tiger that never showed up. Enough already. When it finally did, the writing and the scene were quite anticlimactic. Ho hum. There was a lot of mewling about pain and suffering and the disappointments of missing her original journey. I'm sorry about it too. That one might have made for a much better book! And finally, I really could have done without most of what was written about her mother. It felt so "stuck"in there. In short, there was little coherence and it really distracted from whatever story Morris was trying to tell. Mother? Tiger? It felt to me like Morris decided she would write something and used the memoir genre and all the jumping back and forth in time to make it a memoir. In short, the structure of the book was very flawed and it made for a very weak story. For me, at least, it just didn't work.Maybe I have too great a need for a linear story and I certainly must have missed what all the other reviewers found here, but I would really hesitate before I read another memoir of Morris'.

Very enjoyable and easy to read. I admired the writer's honesty and bravery.

I had to read this for my book club. The lady who chose it loved it. I loved it at first and I gladly kept going back to find out what would happen. When it ended, it was like What Happened..is this the end? That’s it? But the writing of two stories in one book kept me reading to see why they were entwined. This is Nonfiction. Another book club member had the same reaction that I had about the beginning and end of the book.

I did not just read Mary Morris--I felt her pain when she tumbled, threw blankets over me when the night's cold permeated her body. and rejoiced when her wanderlust superseded an infection. I also followed her with ease (not easy to pull off) as she braided and weaved through her journey. I especially enjoyed her spirit and her musings, "A solitary creature who only succeeds in a third of her kills. Who will mate for a day, then go her lovely way. But never get between the tigress and her cubs. And give her room to be wild and free. How can I not see the artist in her? How can she not see the tiger in me?"

Loved this memoir! Morris writes with a voice that is intimate, conversational & poetic. She deftly weaves together her life experiences and epiphanies with her trip to India in search of the elusive tiger sighting, ultimately leading the reader to understand how this trip is really an extended metaphor for her search to understand herself more fully. I’m sad to say I haven’t read any full length texts written by her prior to this one. I’m now going to seek out some of her other works.

Mary Morris' book is a seamless read. It carried me along and back and forth in the currents that run through this book. A spare but absorbing tour de force.

I've rarely read a memoir that prompted me to underline as much. Mary Morris' tale travels back and forth in time, hither and yon in space, with stops for Borges and Yann Martel along the way. Almost without noticing, I learned amazing things about tigers, and grew more and more invested in Morris' journey--not simply to the tigers, but through life. A terrific book.

Mary Morris's latest book is a page-turner packed with moments I kept having to read out loud to anyone within earshot. Fascinating vignettes and revealing moments of her life are carefully woven into the story of her trip to India and recovery from a serious injury. Excellent choice for a summer when we're all longing to travel. Highly recommended!